Into the Shadows

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Sorzus Syn Temple, Korriban

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The desert winds howled as the Royal Harpy descended into the darkness of Korriban's surface, its landing gears sinking slightly into the crimson sand. Hidden beneath the looming ruins of the Temple of Sorzus Syn, the entrance to the underground installation pulsed with an ominous energy. The Force was thick here, oppressive and heavy—this was no ordinary outpost.

Inside the Royal Harpy, the Ghost Squad finished their final preparations. The air was tense, but controlled—professionals working with surgical precision.

Blade, their close-quarters specialist, stood at the front, running through last-minute calculations on his wrist display. Gunner, his dual revolvers spinning at his sides, checked his ion modifications. Tracer, the cold and calculating sniper, finished assembling her DC-15x before running a final diagnostic on her cybernetic optics.

Standing near them was Major Ikarus, in a light armor made for him, arms crossed, watching their movements carefully. He had training alongside elite units before, but Ghost Squad was different—these were assassins, not soldiers. Their way of war was built on precision, deception, and chaos.

I took a deep breath, looking at the three elite operatives before me. "We don't know what's inside. But we do know this—whatever's down there, it's important enough for the Sith to keep hidden. Our job is to find out why."

Blade adjusted his cortosis blade and nodded. "Stealth until compromise. We take what we can, neutralize what we must."

Gunner smirked, his fingers dancing along his modified Westar-34 revolvers. "Let's just hope we don't have to start a war before breakfast."

Tracer, ever silent, pulled up a holographic scan of the underground installation from our recon droids. "Thermal readings indicate at least thirty active lifeforms. Several readings are moving in patterns—guards, most likely. However…" She frowned. "There are anomalies deeper inside. Something strong is radiating in the Force."

I met her gaze. "A Sith Lord?"

She hesitated, then shook her head. "Uncertain. But whatever it is, it's unnatural."

Ikarus placed a hand on my shoulder. "This is your call, General. We're ready."

I exhaled sharply. "Then let's move."

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Ghost Squad advanced in silence through the ruined halls of Sorzus Syn's temple, their forms nearly invisible against the shifting shadows of the ancient Sith architecture.

Blade took point, his dual cortosis and osmiridium swords glinting under the dim red emergency lights. Every movement was deliberate, every step precise. He was a ghost among ghosts.

Behind him, Tracer moved along the high ground, her cybernetic optics scanning every inch of the temple ruins. Her DC-15x was primed, ready to eliminate any potential threats before they could raise an alarm.

Gunner stayed at the center, his fingers itching over his revolvers. He was the wild card, the unpredictable element of the team—precise when needed, but dangerous when provoked.

I followed closely behind them, using the Force to mute our presence, cloaking our movements in a thin veil of misdirection. Even if a Sith acolyte was lurking within, they would only sense vague whispers—shadows of movement, echoes of footsteps.

We reached the first checkpoint, a pair of acolytes guards patrolling the entry to a large reinforced door.

Blade's hand signal was instant—two targets, coordinated elimination.

Before the first guard even had a chance to react, Tracer fired, a silenced ionized bolt piercing through his helmet, sending him crumpling to the floor with a barely audible thud.

The second turned, eyes wide in alarm—but Blade was faster. A single slash, precise and silent, and the Sith's body slumped against the cold floor.

"Clear." Blade whispered.

I knelt beside one of the bodies, placing my hand over his forehead. Reaching into the Force, I extracted memories—flashes of corridors, training rooms, acolytes kneeling before a hooded figure.

I pulled back, my pulse racing. "They're not just training acolytes here. They're creating something… experimenting."

Gunner tilted his head. "That doesn't sound good."

Ikarus glanced toward the reinforced door. "No turning back now."

I nodded. "Blade, cut us a way inside."

With a single arc of his cortosis blade, the lock shorted out, and the door hissed open.

We stepped inside.

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The room beyond was not what I expected.

Flickering, dim lights revealed a massive underground facility, lined with suspended stasis pods—each one containing a figure inside.

Most were human.

Some… were not.

Tracer's breath hitched. "What the hell is this?"

I stepped forward, placing my palm against one of the pods. The Force screamed around me, echoing with pain and torment.

These weren't just acolytes.

These were experiments.

Suddenly, alarms blared through the chamber.

We had been detected.

Red lights flooded the room, doors slammed shut, and a voice echoed through the facility.

"Intruders. Jedi filth. You dare defile this sanctum?"

A robed figure emerged from the shadows, his face obscured by a mask of Sith craftsmanship. A red lightsaber ignited in his grasp, the humming energy of his blade casting ominous reflections along the steel walls.

Gunner rolled his shoulders, exhaling. "Well. There goes breakfast."

I drew my lightsaber, its aquamarine glow clashing against the Sith's crimson blade.

Blade, Gunner, and Tracer took their positions, surrounding our foe as I stepped forward to engage.

"Who are you? What is this place?" I demanded.

The Sith tilted his head, the mask concealing any emotion. "This place is the future. A future you will never see."

Without warning, he lunged at me, his blade descending in a brutal arc.

I met him mid-air, our blades colliding in a clash of energy and sparks.

He is good, very good at duels.

Behind me, the Ghost Squad sprang into action—

Tracer positioned herself on the rafters, picking off acolytes rushing in from the sides.

Blade danced through enemy lines, his cortosis blade cutting through armor like paper.

Gunner covered our flanks, his modified revolvers taking down anything that moved.

The battle had begun.

And Korriban's darkest secret was about to be revealed.

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